Resume

Resume Latex Template: https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/jakes-resume/syzfjbzwjncs

I am finally switching over from Google Docs to Overleaf. The main advantage is that I can just comment out bullet points, depending on how long I want to make my resume.

To make a great resume, make sure to use Action Verbs.

If your resume catches their attention, they will likely go back to this section and re-read it for about 20 seconds. And they’ll be looking to see how your skills match their job requirements.

Strong Bullet Points: What, How, Why + Action Verbs

Write your bullet points using a method called “What, How and Why”:

• What did you do? How did you do it? And why was it successful or effective?

Employers are looking for this information because they can envision you doing similar work for them. Action verbs at the start of a What, How, Why bullet point quickly reveal your skill that relates to what the employer is looking for.

Tips from Yash

Design

• Make sure its readable (preferably 11+ size, reasonable margins, readable/parseable professional font)
• 1 or 2 column (I have a massive preference for 1 column because it might parse better and is easy to read)
• Making your resume pretty is ok, but content >> >>> design (especially for most SWE intern roles)
• PLEASE NO PICTURES ANYWHERE PLEASE

Bullet points

• Sentences should almost always start with the past-tense of a word: i.e. designed, developed, etc.
• Try the XYZ Pattern!
• Personally I really like it, since it helps you show why your work is important
  • X == What you did
  • Y == How you did it / what you used
  • Z == Your impact (preferably quantified)
• It doesn’t really matter what order (usually XYZ or XZY are the most popular)
• If you do this, try to keep it consistent throughout, meaning if you choose XZY, try to make all your points follow that format
• Example of XYZ: “Designed and implemented a notification delivery API schema (X) using GraphQL, (Y) resulting in an increase in user retention of 14%. (Z)”
• Even if you don’t use the XYZ pattern, try to make it clear WHY you did what you did. Impact is super important, and it also helps if you can quantify it in some way.

Other Tips

• Consistency is key
  • Keep dates in the same format wherever you have them. i.e. “Sept 2021 - Apr 2026”
  • If using XYZ, use the same order if possible
  • Use the same design system throughout
  • Use consistent grammar
  • Either every bullet point should end in a period or none of them should, as long as its consistent
• A lot of people recommend putting education last for WaterlooWorks and first for external applications
  • Not a hard and fast rule, mostly comes down to preference
• Add your GPA/average if its good, don’t have to if its not
  • WW employers will see your transcript anyway
• Proofread your final copy afterwards in a lot of detail and go over checklist
  • I had a friend who accidentally applied to all jobs but never put their program name in it

Old Personal Tips (from Yingning)

General

• My first impression is that there’s a lot going on (not enough white space) for me to read, less is more!
• You have enough experience I think you should fix the presentation and make it digestible
• (IDK) Add an interests section about what you like do/hobbies so people can resonate with you (ie you speak fluent French, did cadets, vlog, etc.)
• Structure bullets in the form of “did this” for “that” to get “impact”
• Hyperlink experiences whenever you can so people can visit the website
• There will be more whitespace once you make points and experience sections more succinct

Work Experience

• Cut down to 3-4 most important bullets (advice for when you have too much) The point is, people are overwhelmed reading this experience so cut it down to what matters and use terminology besides describing exactly what you did technically.

Advice going forward:

• Law of Large Numbers, apply to jobs!
• Try to email recruiters if they host info sessions that you go to, be interested in the opportunity
• Say you have experience already?
• Maybe try to get Referrals from people you’ve worked with in the past or from upper years in the extracurriculars you are in?